


Chiefs and scoundrels

by keysburg



Series: Agent Carter S2 [10]
Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Prayer, Unbeta'd, i gave too much thought to how daniel ends up chief, i give up I love jack thompson, not remotely shippy, straight up competition here, this is not the jackdaniels souson you are looking for, vernon is a jackass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-23 20:32:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6129169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keysburg/pseuds/keysburg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd never admit it, but Jack Thompson has a lot to do with Sousa's promotion.  Set between season 1 and season 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a trying day for Jack Thompson. Most days were that way now that he was Chief. Someone always wanted something, and people were always looking to him for answers. The questions were endless. Agents wanting to trade shifts, phone girls asking for new switches, and in the middle of it all Sousa had been giving him a hard time. Again. 

The man had never broken the habit of replying to everything Jack said with sarcasm. Even Jack’s official promotion from Acting Chief to Chief had not changed that. Daniel had to point out every one of Jack’s errors when typing reports rather than just correcting them. Then there was that fiasco with the arrest last week. Jack had secured the arrestee, but he must have been an escape artist. Once free, he went straight for Jack, and Sousa had blocked the attack. His subordinate--a man with a crutch--moved faster than Jack had. Worse still, Agent Feeny had been there to witness it. Feeny was less green than when he started just after Dooley’s death, but he still took great relish in relating the story around the bullpen.

Somehow out of all of his problems as Chief, Sousa bothered him the most. Jack liked him even less than Peggy. She at least looked cute when she was sassing him. It didn’t matter that Sousa was a diligent worker with a spotless record, or that he had closed quite a few cases lately. If anything, this made him harder to deal with. If Sousa would make a mistake now and then, at least Jack could knock him down a peg or two. 

But here he was almost the end of the day and Sousa had gotten him again, catching Jack tripping over his words when giving orders. This grade school stuff was really getting on his nerves. Jack finally made it back to his office, where it was quiet, only to find another registered letter straight from DC on his desk. Registered letters came with a lot of work only Jack could do, depending on the necessary clearance level. They always managed to push him further behind the ball with his day-to-day tasks. Waiting wouldn’t make it any better; with a heavy sigh he opened the letter.

Before the end of the first paragraph, Jack started to smile.

Some senator on the west coast was complaining that the War Department and the SSR were ignoring their ports in favor of Hawaii. It couldn’t be further from the truth, but in politics, perception was everything. He was getting what he wanted. They were opening up a new West Coast Bureau in Los Angeles.

The letter was a request for nominations for the new Chief of said office.

Talk about a thankless task: relocation, staffing nearly from scratch, breaking them in. It would be a ton of work and you could bet that senator would be watching your every move. Jack was smart enough to know how good he had it in New York. Dooley had already weeded out that staff that lacked inclination or were lazy, and Jack had benefited. It might feel like babysitting, but the office had a steady rate of closed cases, further bolstering his reputation.

It would be so much worse to start from scratch, without the benefits of Dooley’s fiefdom. Even Carter would have problems with that. 

It was just the kind of thing that Sousa might take on.

There was an idea. The SSR Chiefs have to be approved by a committee in the War Department, but Jack knew what they were looking for. Vernon had told him how everyone likes a good story, committees included. And Jack could tell one.

Sousa was honestly a great candidate to catch their eye: a war hero and committed to serving his country despite his injury. It did hold him back from some field work, but that was less of a problem for a chief. This would be a great way to get the man out from underfoot. 

The thought of singing Sousa’s praises made Jack grind his teeth. The LA office would be a coup for anyone, if more ambitious than Jack wanted to deal with himself. It would probably be worth it to help him out though. The position would be sink or swim and Jack was betting that attitude of Sousa’s would drag him down, out of the SSR and out of Jack’s life. 

On the off chance Sousa managed to swim, Jack’s name would be down as recommending him. That could be a valuable feather in his cap when it came to recognizing and promoting talent. That could get him tapped to move up. If he wanted it--Jack honestly appreciated the chance to crack skulls now and then. 

So he’d leave out the constant insubordination and instead focus on Sousa’s skill at building cases and his attention to detail. It’s not like he was unqualified. There were a few tidbits from the Stark debacle already credited to Sousa, plus Jack could throw him an extra bone or two on recent cases. Throw in his dedication to training and his war experience, and it would probably be a lock.

Jack gave himself a few minutes to daydream about how nice it would be to have Sousa 3000 miles away. Then he uncapped a pen and set to work.


	2. Chapter 2

“You can’t be serious about this, Jack. Recommending a crip for chief of an SSR office? Are you sure you want me to submit it? It’s going to make you look _sentimental_. Not a good look for Chief of the New York SSR.” Vernon’s voice cracked down the line, sounding concerned.

“I assure you, Vernon, I have no sentimental feelings whatsoever about Agent Sousa. I was asked for a recommendation and he’s the best man I can offer. I have some good agents, but most of their skills are limited to field work. Sousa's unsuitability for most field actions has given him a lot of experience with the day-to-day office operations the others are lacking. Exactly what you want in a chief--someone to herd the cats. I think it would look worse for my office not to put anyone forward.”

“At least it’s not that Carter person. It’s admirable you have respect for the man, Jack. And it really speaks to your leadership abilities, using your staff’s strengths to outweigh their weaknesses. I’ll submit your recommendation if you’re sure. I’ll tell you right something though. If he’s going to get through confirmation, he’s going to need a big win. His record right now is good, but he needs to demonstrate he can be more than a supporting player.” After asking about the family, Vernon rang off.

Jack ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t really want to give Sousa more responsibility. Writing a recommendation was one thing, raising his status around the office was another. Plus right now he was tag-teaming the Dottie Underwood thing with Carter. Letting them work together was the best way to keep them both out of his hair. On the other hand, they had been going round without a break on that case for a couple months now. It was time to bring in a pair of fresh eyes. Splitting them up also meant Jack wouldn’t have to watch Daniel moon over Peggy constantly.

Jack _had_ just gotten a call about a promising missing persons case. The SSR had been trying to recruit a German scientist when he vanished from his house overnight. He had been planning to take Ramirez to speak to the scientist’s wife, but he could take Sousa instead. Daniel was better at sympathizing with family members anyway. Most missing person cases were solved quickly or not solved at all. Whether it counted for or against Sousa would be up to him and Lady Luck.

Jack liked to think he had a way with the ladies, even that one.

Less so with his staff. Peggy gave him plenty of grief about taking Sousa from the Underwood thing until he promised her two agents in his place. She must have seen Daniel’s eyes glint when Jack told him he’d be running the investigation for once. Not that Sousa came quietly, either. 

“That’s awfully generous, Chief. Are you feeling okay? Feverish maybe?” Jack clenched his jaw at Sousa’s tone, which bordered on sardonic. 

“You were the one asking for more responsibility. If you don’t want it, Agent Sousa, I’m sure there are plenty of other agents here who would take the case. There’s plenty of filing for you to do instead.” He didn’t want to seem like he cared much one way or the other.

“No, I’m willing. Can’t a guy ask after the health of his boss?” Jack found himself reciting a prayer under his breath. One his mother spoke incessantly during his childhood. _Saint Monica, troubled wife and mother, for the prodigal sons and daughters that have gone astray, grant me your same fortitude, patience, and trust in the Lord, Amen._ His chiefdom was turning him into his mother. It was probably better than becoming his father.


	3. Chapter 3

In the end, Sousa found the man in less than three days. He was alive--if not well. Being kidnapped by Soviets who want to smuggle you out of the Land of the Free can have a negative impact on a man’s health. He would recover, and as the cherry on top Sousa secured the man’s agreement to work for the SSR. Jack gritted his teeth and gave him the praise he deserved, in front of the entire bullpen.

“Congratulations, Sousa. You’ve done this office proud. And as my mother would say, the reward for work well done is more work.” Jack handed him a file box. It contained five cases no one had been able to crack, all leads gone cold. Sousa must have gotten the letter saying he was under consideration for Chief already. He took them with no complaint or sarcastic comment whatsoever.

The bastard solved three of them.

_In a month._

Two of them even lead to good arrests. Jack should have known Lady Luck had a soft spot for Sousa as well. Most men wouldn’t have survived that war injury. 

Or maybe it was all the prayers Jack had muttered in frustration. God helps those who help themselves, as Gam-Gam always said. He wasn’t sure Sousa left the office at all except to chase down leads. He wasn’t worried, exactly, but Daniel was really bringing down the shine in the office with those rumpled sweater vests. There was a reprieve when Daniel had to set aside the last two cases and prepare for his interview.

Interviews were in DC, in front of a panel. Jack had to go too. He didn’t appreciate that because he had to visit with his father. At least Vernon joined them for dinner. His father got to wax on about how he just knew Jack would do great things at the SSR, and Vernon was there to agree with him. 

The next day spoke he to the panel first thing. The Director of the SSR was there with four men from the War Department.

“We want to thank you for nurturing such an excellent candidate, Chief Thompson. We clearly made the right choice when we gave you the New York office,” the Director said.

“I’m just pleased to have had the opportunity, gentlemen,” Jack replied.

“We’ve looked over the recommendation and Agent Sousa’s additional materials very carefully, but there is not much discussion of his weaknesses. What can you tell us about those?” 

“Given the last couple months, I’d have to say his biggest weakness is working too hard. He might put himself into an early grave, working the hours that he does.” The men gave a polite chuckle at this.

“It’s commendable that you champion your staff, Chief Thompson, but you really must give us more than that. Please elaborate on Sousa’s weaknesses, and be honest.” 

Vernon had warned him about this line of questioning. Jack pretended to think for a moment.

“I guess I’d have to say the man does not suffer fools. As Chief, he’s going to demand perfection from his agents because he demands it from himself. I’d hate to work for him because he wouldn’t forgive mistakes. But you set him up with an office, and the men that come out of it will be some of the best you’ve ever seen.” The murmurs from the men at the table all sounded positive. 

“If he’s so good, I’m sure you’ll be very sorry to lose him.”

“Oh, yes, sir. Which is why I brought this proposal to hire four new men on at SSR New York.” Jack handed the man a file folder. 

“Four men? Do you really think that’s likely to be approved?”

“Well, Sousa alone does do the filing of two men, sir.” Jack smiled.

“We will consider two hires, _if_ we promote Agent Sousa. Back to business, now. Please tell us more about his work on the Stark case.” 

When the interview concluded, Jack ran into Sousa in the hall. He was waiting on a bench near the conference room, and he looked rather nervous. Sousa swallowed hard as Jack walked toward him.

“Chief Thompson. I didn’t know they had to interview you as well.” Jack smiled to hear Sousa being formal, for once. It was worth nominating him just for this. 

“Normal procedure for appointing a chief, I’m told. Of course in my case, they skipped that part, Dooley being gone and all.” 

“I suppose they would have,” Sousa said slowly. “I suppose you did your best to torpedo my chances? Should I even bother with this interview?

Jack smiled.

“Interviews are confidential for a reason, Sousa. Just getting one is a coup anyway, might as well see it through.”

“I don’t like being set up on a fool’s errand, that’s all.” 

“It never seemed to bother you before. Look, I’ll tell you the one thing I’ve learned as Chief. If you’re going to lead, there will be many things out of your control. So you focus on what you can. You can’t do anything about what I may or may not have said. Go in there, and just try not to make me look bad, okay?”

The reply was interrupted when they asked Sousa into the conference room. He wondered if Daniel would even believe how much Jack had stuck his neck out for him. Not if Jack was the one to tell him. So why bother? Absent other information, Sousa was sure to assume it was his hard work that got him the position. 

_Good luck Sousa,_ he thought as he made his way out of the building. _Time to sink or swim. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been quite remiss in not thanking Paeonia for headcanoning with me about promotions in the SSR. The panel in this chapter came straight from our discussions :)

**Author's Note:**

> Saint Monica is the patron saint of patience, which Thompson badly needs. Between what I think he was like as a kid and the kind of man his dad probably was, his mom needed it too. I cobbled together this prayer from a few different ones; it's up to you if his mom made up her own version or if he's remembering it slightly wrong. 
> 
> Mostly I just think Thompson praying for Daniel not to go astray is hilariously ironic.


End file.
